There are very few figures in world football who truly understand the crushing weight, raw emotion, and pride of wearing the Liverpool armband like Steven Gerrard.
So when Mohamed Salah found himself embroiled in a tense, public standoff with head coach Arne Slot following a frustrating 3-3 draw at Elland Road, it was Gerrard who picked up the phone to intervene.
As Kopites will vividly remember, after being left on the bench for that thrilling six-goal encounter in Yorkshire, an emotional Salah lashed out publicly before jetting off to the Africa Cup of Nations.
He was subsequently dropped for Liverpool's 1-0 Champions League away victory over Inter Milan at the San Siro three days later on December 9, before eventually reintegrating into Slot's side for the final stretch of the campaign.
Yet behind closed doors, a boyhood Red was doing everything in his power to ensure one of the modern era's greatest legends didn't tear down nine years of heroics in a single moment of anger.
Speaking on The Overlap’s 'Stick to Football' podcast in April Gerrard revealed the frank, heart-to-heart conversation he had with the Egyptian king during the height of the turmoil:
"I spoke to him around that interview at the time," Gerrard admitted. "I said 'Don't do what you've done and go under a cloud' — yeah, I spoke to him direct."
For Gerrard, reaching out wasn't about media headlines it came from a place of personal respect and a shared bond over Gerrard's son, Leo.
"He texts me every now and again or I text him now and again, more if I am going somewhere with Leo just so Leo can see him," Gerrard explained. "But it gave me the opportunity to say to him, 'You've been here for eight or nine years. You've been a king here, you've got this legacy. Go on your terms, the right way.'"
Reflecting on how Salah received the blunt advice, Gerrard recalled: "He was still a little emotional at the time from the incidents. He was a sub, he was in and out of the team at the time, he was upset. I thought it would have been a shame if he left in January and he just left."
Two Anfield kings: Monuments built on extraordinary numbers
If anyone held the authority to preach about Anfield legacies, it was Gerrard.
Across 17 heroic senior seasons in red, Stevie G amassed 710 appearances third on the club's all-time list scoring 186 goals and providing 157 assists from central midfield. He lifted nine major trophies, including the 2005 Champions League in Istanbul and the 2006 FA Cup, practically carrying the club through some of its toughest transitional eras.
Salah’s numbers are equally staggering. Across nine glittering seasons on Merseyside, the 34-year-old forward scored 257 goals in 442 appearances, cementing himself as Liverpool's third-highest goalscorer of all time while collecting seven major honours, including the Premier League, Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, FA Cup, and League Cups.
It was that towering contribution that led Gerrard to select Salah on his four-man Liverpool 'Mount Rushmore' alongside Bill Shankly, Sir Kenny Dalglish, and Ian Rush deliberately choosing Salah over Jürgen Klopp and Bob Paisley.
Why Gerrard understands Salah's exit
When Salah mutually agreed to terminate his contract a year early this summer subsequently signing a two-year deal with Turkish giants Trabzonspor on August 6 many fans felt a sting of sadness that his Anfield story ended without a fairytale farewell.
However, speaking to SportBible, Gerrard made it clear that he completely understood Salah's decision to walk away rather than sit on the bench under Slot.
“I don’t think necessarily every footballer has to finish their career at the club where they’ve shone for so long,” Gerrard said.
“I think what’s important when you come to the latter stages of your career is that you enjoy it, and that the manager appreciates you, and that you’re still starting football matches. I was in a similar situation myself under Brendan Rodgers, and with all due respect, no hard feelings, I didn’t want to be a squad player. It’s important that you see your career out where you’re enjoying it, you’re still playing, you’re still contributing and you feel important.”
That desire to remain 'the main man' has certainly been validated out in Turkey.
Salah has hit the ground running, starting his last five league matches and delivering seven goals and two assists highlighted by a stunning hat-trick performance in Trabzonspor's 4-0 thrashing of Turkish champions Galatasaray on September 20.
For Kopites, seeing Salah thrive in another shirt might take some getting used to, but Gerrard’s intervention ensured that when the Egyptian departed L4, he did so with his immense 257-goal legacy intact remembered forever as an Anfield immortal who went out on his own terms.
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